Backyard Beauties

After a week in Michigan, spent having a great time on a lake with my family, I’m reminded why I got into the online marketing industry in the first place.

“Not having to worry about the money” so to speak, allows me to do things like renting out a small compound on a remote lake to enjoy time loving and serving my extended family.

There’s nothing better than sitting on the porch, looking out on to placid water, enjoying a cup of coffee with my grandpa on my mother’s side, hearing stories I’ve heard a million times.

A far cry from the “Lake Placid” that’s probably ringing a bell in your head now, lol.

It was during this week-long vacation that I became acutely aware of my surroundings, and how they added to the overall experience with my family.

See, I was enjoying the company and fellowship of my family, sure, but it was the scene that was set that was having just as much of an impact on my time.

There was a short pier jutting out into the water–completely covered by about 3 inches of water, due to the hard rains that came the week before we arrived.

Upon reaching the pier, there was a beautiful pergola encompassing a beautifully designed hardscape surface and retaining wall at the edge of the property.

It was me appreciating the world around me, trying to capture the beauty and pride of the craftsmanship I was surrounded by, all to the tune of familiar fables from good ol’ grandpa.

Psychologically, my gratitude for my surroundings and the gratitude I have for the time spent with my family were beginning to intertwine.

The positive feelings and emotions I was experiencing from one was being multiplied by the other.

The final product was pure bliss.

Because of keeping the correct perspective, it allowed me to be in a place where I could experience an intensity of positive emotions that I hadn’t connected with in a long time.

I thank my surroundings for strengthening my bond with my grandpa, and in a weird way, I feel that my gratitude of the scenery I was a part of was my way of thanking my grandpa for strengthening my appreciation for what I was currently a part of.

We’re often told that money is the root of all evil. And perhaps, the love of only money, there may be some truth to that; however, this vague phrase subconsciously fuels, in some admittedly, an immediate disease for ‘nice’ things.

Well I’m here to tell you that I’ve seen my fair share of nice things, and I’ve gone a step further in trying to get to know the people and processes behind the ‘things’, and they’re not all bad!